Philosophia Longa, Vita Brevis (February 2024 version) (original) (raw)

That neologized Latin aphorism means: "philosophy is long, life is short." Of course, I'm riffing on the classical aphorism ars longa, vita brevis, which means "art is long, life is short." We shouldn't assume, however, that in this classical aphorism, the Latin word "ars" means fine art; instead, more broadly and more inclusively, its intended meaning is applied art, craft, or practical art. According to the online Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia, [a]rs longa, vita brevis are the first two lines of a Latin translation of an aphorism by Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. The words are commonly translated in English as art is long, life is short. The full text in Latin is: Ars longa, vita brevis,